In Bloom
by melancholicreveriepatd
Summary: Spin off: Radiance series. Riley and Bodhi have just returned to the Here & Now from their latest mission in Rome, but getting back to business as usual isn't so easy for the two. With the struggles of their own personal soul-work, as well as more soul catches being thrown their way, they can't help but be drawn to one another. (Multi-chapter)
1. Soul Work

**A/N: Hey everyone out there! Okay so this story mainly revolves around Riley and Bodhi back in the Here & Now, and how they're attempting to recover from their past adventure. Picks up after the fourth book ****_Whisper_**** (by Alyson Noel if you didn't know). Considering Noel decided to momentarily abandon these stories to work on another series, and breaking my heart by doing so, I clearly felt the urge to respond by making my own! Hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. Yes I am sixteen years old and yes I adore this "pre-teen" series... Holla.**

* * *

**Riley**

_Chapter 1: Soul Work_

* * *

You'd think coming back home after such a huge adventure would be dull with nothing to do – but boy is that _so_ wrong. Apparently a large part of this whole after life deal means doing things _I_ want to do. You know, like soul-work (as everyone around here calls it). I'd been so jam-packed in the past few weeks, I've never been happier I'm dead and therefore my body cannot get exhausted. As soon as we returned from Rome and everyone went their separate ways, Aurora summoned me to speak to her personally.

"Do you feel any different?" She asked, glancing at me from the corner of her eye as we walked. We were in what looked like a small coastal village. Complete with fishing boats, seafood restaurants, and novelty shops full of sea shells and basically anything involving marine life. I was so caught up in the serene atmosphere I almost missed her question completely.

"I do. I don't know how… but I do. Does that make sense?" Great, now I just sound like a ditz.

"No, no. I understand." She smiles and leads me to a two person table outside of a little coffee shop with a small, hand-painted sign that read _Anchors Away! Café._

"So why don't _I _understand how I feel?"

"Well, think about every birthday you've had in the past on the Earth plane. Did you feel some grand, or heck, even a slight change at any point of that day?"

"No, I guess not." I hate talking about my life back among the living. Despite having been here for some time, I still miss it so much it hurts. And that's coming from someone who can't even feel pain any more.

"You'll feel it gradually, sweetheart. One day you'll wake up and realize you aren't the same person you have been. And that's okay, that's life. And despite popular belief, that's afterlife too."

"I finally get why you're so high up in this place," I mutter. Aurora laughs, releasing that genuine, tinkling laugh that could legitimately make angels cry.

"Now go. It's time to start enjoying your afterlife. Despite what you think, we're not always going to put you to work."

I shook my head. "But what do I do? Just sit around? And when do I start working again?" Now I'm just worried. Do I just get set loose on my own in this place? Last time that happened I nearly shut down a place capable of _bending dreams…_

"Riley," She announced sternly, interrupting my thoughts.

I hate that everyone around here knows what I'm thinking yet here I am, in the dark.

"Do whatever you want; whatever your _soul_ wants. Go for a walk, design a house, or maybe even meet new people... Anything you desire. Life is still yours to take, and I'm here to remind you of that."

Then, just like everyone else in this freaking place, she disappears into thin air. Swell. Now I'm officially on my own. Where do I even begin? I have no idea what my soul wants! Maybe something to do with dogs, considering my best friend happens to be one since I died. Or magazines… maybe I could make my own. Or I could help the other newcomers; give them tricks and tips so they don't have to be kept in the dark like I am. _Hey, this isn't so hard…_ Perhaps I could spend some time with my, er, boyfriend. I mean I guess that's what he is to me. I wonder where he ran off to. As I wandered around the main street of the small, ocean-front plaza, my thoughts began to drift back to the coliseum. I am still in shock that I was selfless enough to give away my soul catch to – at the time – my enemy. Look at me go, being all mature.

_Ugh, mature… as if. _I sighed. I mean, of course I'm happy to carry my shiny new title of thirteen-and-a-half, but boy oh boy do I miss my manifested self. I was so glamorous and captivating even I couldn't keep my eyes off myself. Heck, even Bodhi couldn't- Oh jeez. I almost forgot about that, about _him. _How am I expected to recover from that?! I mean you can't just look at a girl like that, tell her she _took your breath away, _then run right back to your hot-stuff, teenage girlfriend as if nothing ever happened. I guess I have Dacian, anyway. He's just as cute – okay maybe _almost_ as cute as Bodhi. All right that's it, I need to get out of my head or else I'm going to lose it and keep thinking about things, and people, I really would rather not. The sun had already begun to set, so I figured I should probably go find Dacian.


	2. Old Routines

**In case you didn't notice, there are a mother load of spoilers up in these fics... whoops. Probably should have laid that down first! But anyway here is Bodhi's perspective.**

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_Bodhi_

_Chapter 2: Old Routines_

* * *

I don't really know where I am.

And no, I'm not trying to be all existential, I'm being literal. All I know is that as soon as we all returned to the _Here and Now_ everyone just kind of ditched me. I mean I mentored and _saved the butt_ of the brat who just achieved one of the biggest soul catches I've ever seen. Don't I deserve a little credit? Now _I'm_ starting to sound like the selfish, immature brat. _Nice._ Not only have I apparently _become _Riley, but even she has surpassed me on the maturity ratings. How could she, of anyone, just throw away the soul catch of the century to some manipulative excuse of a soul? _Brat. _

Not only did Riley and her little boyfriend – who I don't trust in the slightest, by the way – ditch me, but so did my own girlfriend. As soon as everyone else started to leave, Jasmine pulled some lame excuse about needing to visit a cousin or something – then_ poof_. She kept acting strange around me during the celebration for Riley. Like she didn't want to be around me… So here I am. Storming off on some mission, hell-bent to wallow in my own confusion, loathing and jealousy, and ending up in a field in the middle of nowhere. It's a spectacular view, I'll give it that, but it isn't exactly what I need right now. I don't even know what I need, but it sure isn't here. Maybe I could make it where I need to be.

I stand up, brush off the grass from my pants, give up and switch them for a pair of tan board shorts, and begin to take in my surroundings. Now that I'm up and thinking, I remembered that I'd been itching to find myself a new place to live. No more of the old routines I'd become so accustomed to while living here. My fraternity-style mansion, complete with Greek inspired pillars and all, just doesn't cut it for me anymore. Once upon a time it was my dream to go to a huge, high-end college and end up in a fraternity, but that ship has sailed. I always have loved sailing… maybe something by the ocean. As soon as the idea pops into my head, the soft grass field beneath me ripples into a sparkling sea, sending me plummeting into the water.

After manifesting a beach, I found my way out of the water onto the golden, sun-soaked sand. I sat myself up, still letting the soft waves lap against my toes. Perhaps a house on the beach. That could work. No, I needed something more serene and different. _I got it. _Standing up once again – this time without bothering to brush off any debris from myself – I imagined before me a narrow and seemingly endless wooden boardwalk rising from the glimmering ocean. After shortening the boardwalk to a much more realistic length, I designed a small, tipi-like house at the end. The wood and straw building contrasted fantastically with the soft emerald sea below. _Now this is home, _I sighed to myself.

I created nearly anything I could imagine: from a hammock style bed, to both indoor and outdoor minibars, to beach accessories and even a full wardrobe of beach wear and any other form of clothing I could think of. Heck, even a suit for good measure. Unfortunately, as I lounged on my hammock bed – with an open roof overhead to view the recently setting sun – my mind began to relax. While in this weak mental state, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get one single image out of my head. _Her. _The air heaving straight out of my chest – maybe not so literally – at the mere sight of the long waving blonde hair, the full lips, and the piercing blue eyes that shot straight through my entire being. I shot up, and while attempting to get off of my bed, landed on the cedar floor with a loud _thud_. I then started running. It seems while even in my own perfect oasis I still could not escape the nightmare I had yet to face.

Riley.

And whatever the heck happened back there to make her look like _that_, and make me feel _this…_ whatever this is. All I know is that I just started running, sprinting is more like it. I had no idea where I was headed, but something inside of me was determined to get there.


	3. Not Like the Movies

**A/N: Okay so this chapter is quite the angst-fest, fair warning. And I just wanted to let you know that it will take me awhile to get the next two chapters done - for the plot is finally going to begin - but when they're up there will be quite a lot to see, so be ready for that! Also I feel like I should have added a disclaimer... whoops. So I guess I'll put one here.**

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good. And also, I don't own these characters or the books they are based off. **

**Mazeltov, and enjoy!**

**- Allie**

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_Riley_

_Chapter 3: Not Like the Movies_

* * *

I flopped face-first onto my bed.

I felt exhausted, annoyed, frustrated and quite frankly, just downright _fed up. _Aren't boyfriends supposed to, oh I don't know, acknowledge your existence?! When I finally ran into Dacian he had just come out of a meeting with the Council, so he was wandering around the school grounds. I figured it wasn't any of my business to ask what they said to him, so I thought I'd pick up where we left off.

**··············**

"I guess I'm going to have to get used to this casual look, opposed to the usual toga get-up, aren't I?" I teased playfully. It took him a few seconds, but he finally turned in my direction.

"Riley," he responded almost breathlessly. His ornately sculpted hair and casual zipped sweater made him look very out of place compared to the way I previously knew him by. "This place is magnificent! Can I really do anything I want?" He questioned enthusiastically while not even making eye contact, but instead taking in his surroundings like a deer in headlights. _Well, that was a dark reference. _I shuddered at the thought of it, of my family all in the car… I jumped back into the conversation enthusiastically before I could let myself get too emotional.

"Well, yeah. I guess! You do whatever your soul wants, Dacian. That's what this place is for – I mean, until you get assigned a job."

"Can you show me around? I want to see everything!"

"Well sure! We can spend some time together and-"

"Oh my goodness, I could look at modern art and hear today's music and see everything that I've missed. Perhaps I can see what has happened to fashion, I mean look at how strange we look!" He rudely interrupted.

This guy just wouldn't quit. I had to basically scream his name to get his attention, even though I was literally straight ahead of him. "Dacian! I can help you with that stuff, seeing as I'm actually _from _this time," I spat with a little more sass than was probably necessary.

"Oh, but you have things to do, things for your own soul! And as do I, Riley. Why should I hold you back with the past? There are all these sights and experiences I've missed out on and I'm finally getting a chance to start living, oddly enough. Don't you understand?" He asked, looking at me as if he were trying to prove a point while simultaneously judging me. Yet even when he looked right at me, his gaze still looked distant. I have to admit, that kind of hurt.

"Of course but… why can't our soul work involve each other?" I muttered, feeling foolish and very uneasy for some reason.

"They can! Once we're done our own stuff. Like you said – our jobs. You know, for our souls." He stared me right in the eyes this time, but soon enough his gaze wandered elsewhere and I knew he was impatiently waiting to ditch me as soon as he could.

"Is that what you really want? I mean I thought we kind of shared something and maybe we could continue where we left off…"

"Sorry, I missed what you were saying, but there is a cat _flying. _Look, Riley! Right over there, behind you!" His face lit up like a freaking Christmas tree, and that's when it hit me. He didn't belong with – or heck, even near – me. He was stuck in a completely different world, a world that wasn't for me.

I took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Dacian," I announced assertively. I turned and began to flee before he could respond. I could hear him call for me off in the distance, but it only happened once and that was that.

**··············**

And that leads me here, laying face-down on my bed, crying like a little kid who just broke their favourite toy. Well actually, in this case, maybe I'm the kid who just realized their toy had been broken all along and can't do a single thing to fix it. _Great_. Now I sound like a Taylor Swift song – which would have been great if it didn't make me feel like _this_. This whole boyfriend thing really is not like the movies make it out to be. Dacian was great for the short time that I'd had him, and heck, maybe this is just a phase. _Yes, of course! _I remember how crazy my mind was when I first entered the _Here and Now,_ so this must obviously be a huge culture shock for him. All he needs is some space, and sure enough, he'll come back to me.

I felt a lot better, after realizing the stupidity of my ways. Dacian didn't enter my life for the sole purpose of leaving as soon as he could. No, he's here to have something to hold on to, to get me through this next while by myself. And as soon as we're done all this soul-searching mumbo jumbo, we'll pick up right back where we were and who knows? Maybe we'll be a real couple next time. It seems things aren't always as bad as my insane mind makes them out to be.

I flipped over and jumped off my bed, determined to get up and do something with myself – or rather, my soul. I flew outside and stood out front, looking off into the distance. With my hands on my hips and my heck cocked to the side, I tried to see myself doing something. Something that I liked and that made me feel good. I closed my eyes and imagined before me a large, office-style building. It was only two stories high and with a giant glass revolving door for the entrance… I've always wanted to use one of those. I opened my eyes and there it was before me. _This is going to be insanely fun,_ I laughed to myself, in total disbelief that this was happening right before my eyes.

I needed a sign though. Something reserved, but that still caught an onlooker's attention. I saw before me a large sign that read _In_ _Bloom _in a very classy, yet fun, cursive font. I was practically vibrating with excitement. I walked forward, mentally preparing myself for what I hoped my beautiful image of the inside of the building would look like in its real, manifested form, when I was knocked to the ground from something colliding with me out of the blue.

"What the heck?!" I screeched, pushing the figure off of me and stumbling to my feet, regaining my vision. The stranger across from me bolted upward, flipping the hair from their face, kind of like how a movie star does it…. Like Zac Efron kind of deal. _Oh jeez._ Not just anyone could look that good with such a crazed, confused and stupidly _adorable_ expression on their face.

"Riley! I… I," Bodhi stuttered before me. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and finally re-opened them. He looked me square in the eyes, never once breaking eye contact with me as he spoke. "I just never really got a chance to say congratulations. You were amazing back there." He said, but there was something in his voice…. It held a certain softness and reverie that I was instantly suspicious of.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm assuming you're here to brag then? To remind me how I wouldn't have been there – or here, for that matter – without the aid of my perfectly law-abiding guide?" Alright so maybe I was being a tad bratty, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to recall my fleeting and reoccurring friendship with Bodhi. I have things to do, and if memory served me right, he isn't my first choice in companionship.

"What?" He breathed, clearly confused. "I didn't come here to argue. Why won't you accept the fact that I'm happy for you?"

"Because I know better!" I screeched, without knowing why exactly I was even upset. There was a beat of silence.

"And what the hell does _that_ mean?" He suddenly shouted back, his voice gaining edge and bite, which only fueled my outburst. Which, by the way, I had no idea where I was headed with.

"You're here to tell me that no matter what happened in there, I got sucked in and almost ruined both of our jobs," I seethed through barred teeth. I guess my insecurities hadn't really faded, but why should they? I screwed up, and the sooner he gets all angry about it, the faster I can head back to my soul time.

"I'm ready to move on from that, Riley. I want to focus on the positive – your success, strength and utter wisdom back there. Why do you insist on stubbornly sticking to the negative crap?"

I could see in his tired eyes and drooped posture that he did not want to fight. Sure he seemed frustrated, but I sure as heck wasn't done with this.

"You're so infuriating, you know that right?! I mean, how can someone be so sure of themselves, so downright _bossy_, and then be someone completely different altogether?" I shouted.

He slid a hand down his tired face, but when he dropped it I could see a fire behind his eyes. _Bingo._ "Are you gonna tell me what that means or-?"

"You're fake, Bodhi! You're so annoying and _know-it-all_ with me most of the time, then suddenly it looks like you genuinely care, then you're back to your old self again at a moment's notice! Why do I only get a fleeting glance at the sweet side of you? Where's the one that reads poetry and puts flowers in people's hair?"

He was speechless... for once. His usually sparkling emerald green eyes were now a sickly, muddy green – two fiery slits pointed right through me.

"Maybe because you're not my girlfriend, _kid_," He enunciated slowly to me, while practically spitting out the last word in sheer disgust. His voice was deep and dangerous, and it felt like a punch to the stomach yet sent a hot blush across my cheeks.

"And thank goodness for that," I spat back with just as much bite to my voice. We were close to each other, our toes practically touching. I didn't recall noticing us getting closer, yet here we are. I felt my energy spike and radiate because of my anger. _Obviously _due to my anger.

He peered down at me from under his thick, dark hair. "You wear a mask, you know. Whether it's trying to hide your selfish, angry thoughts from me, or creating some stunningly beautiful-" He averted his gaze to the ground, but quickly returned it back to me. "_Fake_ version of yourself in Rome... It's all so you can avoid letting people near you. And don't ask me why you do it, because I don't know. And quite frankly, I just don't care." He turned and began to walk away, but he spun back around before I could get a word in edgewise. He chuckled to himself, but it was dark and cold and bitter. The sound of it frightened me, yet intrigued me somehow all the same.

"And what about that little boyfriend of yours? _Well?_" Bodhi whispered dangerously. He kept a fair amount of distance between us, but I could see him gradually inching closer each time he spoke.

"What about Dacian?" I questioned, though all the conviction in my voice had left me, and all that came out was practically a squeaked whisper.

"Isn't he just apart of your mask too? You're just using him to keep living in that façade of a dream life you found. Nice Riley, real nice. So next time you feel like intervening in my personal life, why don't you try getting one of your own? A real one."

Without another word he turned his back to me and stormed off the way he came.


	4. Caught

**A/N: Finally, I got this chapter the way I wanted it. Sorry it took so long, but here is where the plot really starts kicking off! Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take too much longer. Reviews are always appreciated... I wanna know what you guys think of this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I swear I still don't own this book series or the characters. **

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_Bodhi_

_Chapter 4: Caught_

* * *

If I say what I'm feeling, I'm bound to sound just like every other heart sick teenager to have ever existed. I wish I didn't have to feel this way, but I do nonetheless. I've always wondered if there was ever something wrong with me and the way I think. No wonder I couldn't last any amount of time in a relationship… Jasmine and I didn't work out, and I guess I probably should have seen it coming. She always seemed so distant with me, almost like she never really made an effort to try and meet the real me – the person I try not to show on the outside. But it's not like I ever made that effort either, so I guess that alone explains a lot. It's been quite some time since I've seen her – or anyone, for that matter. Last I heard my friends were all fine and busy, and even Riley had been getting her act together.

Riley is now 14. Don't ask me how she did it, but it happened. She is already somehow only a year younger than me and apparently her soul work has been exemplary to prove it. She opened up some giant magazine that somehow has charmed not only the youth, but also the adult population here as well. That along with helping any soul who has just entered the _Here and Now_ to make their transition here smoother. She's also been giving flying lessons to the recently deceased pets and other animals among us. _Great._ I feel bad for being so cynical, but what else can I possibly do? It's not like Riley will even speak with me so I can apologize. So we _both_ can apologize. I think I just need a mission – my _own_ mission; just me going off and using my skills and wits to wrangle up another wayward soul. That sounds perfect to me. _Thoughts create_, I internally reminded myself, so hopefully The Council will grant me that one wish. I just need an escape. Is it so bad to just want to run away from my problems for once?

No, no, the Council won't do anything for me if I think like that… I need to _do_ something. You know, something that will make them see that I'm making an effort and not just spending my days moping and whining and expecting a miracle. Unfortunately I know exactly what has to be done.

Once again I free myself from my hammock-style bed and set off jogging. I know if I just keep thinking about her, I'll end up near her soon enough. _Alright, so think, idiot,_ I cursed myself silently. She's girly. She has this tinkling laugh that can end up in a snort at a moment's notice, piercing blue eyes, a bratty attitude, is obtusely independent, obsessed with celebrities and clothing, passionate, courageous, determined, wise… It seems I know more about her than I thought. I was so focused I didn't realize I had closed my eyes, so when I quickly opened them my face was mere inches from a glass entrance to a building. This must be it. Of course! I recognize this place already. _In Bloom _the sign out front read, and inside was practically buzzing with life, as some boy band's pop music hummed from every corner. I inhaled deeply, mentally preparing myself for the onslaught of teen pop culture and a confinement of similarly bratty teens. _Here goes_, I breathed.

The building must not be nearly what it appears from the outside. Inside, the pure white, marble walls are decorated with images of famous skateboarders, while the double grand staircase is instead two ramps, and the Greek-inspired pillars remind me of a time I spent, stupidly, trying to climb them… _Oh_. I almost didn't recognize my old house, the one I redecorated awhile back. As I stood there awestruck, I failed to notice the Council appear from the corner of my eye. It's safe to assume that they brought me back to my old place for a reason - here's hoping it's not one that ends in me getting in trouble... again.

"Bodhi, it seems you've changed quite a bit since we last met," Claude announced. I turned to face him. His eyes wandered the walls, taking in the general splendour of the place as he twisted his long beard between two of his fingers. His ponytail always made him look so wise, yet youthful and adventurous, too.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I have," I awkwardly replied. I wasn't quite sure as to what he was referring to. The house? Or just me in general?

"Now, would you say it's a positive change that you see in yourself?"

I didn't exactly know how to answer that. Yes, I managed to redecorate my house and get out of a relationship that was probably bound to hurt me a lot more in the long run, but I'm sure that isn't exactly the change they expected from me. I just stood there, awkwardly shifting my weight between feet and gnawing on the green straw I'd recently manifested_. It's soothing – sue me._

"Perhaps I can reword the question," Celia piped in. Her unique floral appearance and petite figure made her more approachable than the rest of The Council, perhaps because she seemed closer to my age than any of them. It's a stupid thought, but it comforted me nonetheless. "You seem very… _unbalanced _lately,"

_Unbalanced? What? What is that even remotely supposed to mean?!_

_ "_We would like to see you back on your feet. You know, returning to doing what your soul needs to do. So how can we help you, Bodhi?"

I sighed in relief. _Thank goodness. _"I think you all know perfectly well what I need," I retorted with a shy grin while nervously rubbing my chin. Each Council member gave a slight chuckle, especially Royce for some reason, who elbowed Samson in the side playfully, almost unnoticeably. I didn't really understand what was so funny, but just the fact that I had somehow charmed them and made a more relaxed atmosphere was enough to keep me more than satisfied. It was so strange to see them – even for just a moment – acting so casual and uplifted. It was nice. Aurora quickly spoke up to regain the group's attention.

"Yes, indeed we do. Now, are you sure you are prepared to return to soul catching?"

"Yes!" I responded a little too quickly… and loudly. This caused another wave of laughter and smiles from the group before me. I guess they want me back to what I do best just as much as I do.

"Well," Aurora breathed. Her expression playful and her voice holding a slightly amused tone, "Lucky for you two we have something available. I suppose there's no point in waiting, then. Is there?"

I smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Wait… for us _two? _

_ No, no, no! _I internally pleaded. This cannot be happening… Just as the thought crossed my mind, Aurora and the rest of The Council turned their backs away from me, focused on something above. I peered past them and followed their gaze up to the grand staircase closest to us. The ramps were now returned to their original state as marble-white stairs. An unseen door opened down a hallway near the top of the stairs and cringe-worthy pop music vibrated through the echoing corridor. The door slammed and a girl sauntered towards the top of the stairs. It took me a second to recognize her. Riley was sifting through the endless amount of papers she held in her arms, her blonde hair sticking out in various directions as she shouted back down the hall.

"Jaclyn, I'm gonna need at least five dozen more copies of this… Your article is totally amazing!" She squealed excitedly.

She started practically skipping down the stairs while muttering to herself, not once looking up from her infinite stack of papers. Her frenetic and giddy energy made me laugh to myself in disbelief and sheer awe. I almost forgot what she looked like when she smiled. _Wait, what? _Before I could overanalyze that thought, the smile was wiped clean off my face by the sound of a piercing shriek – and it came from Riley. She lost her footing halfway down the staircase, and the next thing I knew I was pushing past the Council members and lunging towards her. Everything around me was a blur until I finally caught her small, fragile figure in my arms before she could fall face-first onto the solid ground below.


	5. Taking Charge

_Riley_

_Chapter 4: Taking Charge_

* * *

You'd think being dead would have made me at least _somewha_t graceful… it didn't. All I know is that one moment I was chatting among friends in my amazing – yet totally hectic – office for the magazine, and the next I'm soaring down a staircase with my face on a direct route to the floor.

"Oomph!" he grunted upon catching my fall. I landed in his arms and he clutched me – currently huddled in the fetal position – to his chest. The first place I looked was down at the floor below me. _Way _below me.

I was hovering at least ten feet above the ground while still holding onto Bodhi for dear life. I didn't even need to look to know who had caught me, I could always just _sense _when he was around. I guess I must have gotten used to his energy or something during our soul catches together. Next I glanced upward, thinking that I should probably acknowledge his presence. He was already looking at me, his head tilted downward and eyes scanning my face. He looked concerned and serious, but with something softer under the surface. Amusement? He just kept looking at me with those wide green eyes, so I kept looking at him, waiting for him to break the contact. He didn't. A crooked little half-smile quietly spread across his lips and a soft chuckle escaped his throat.

"You okay?" he whispered. I felt a pang of something within me – something kind of giddy and nervous. Our closeness and intimacy finally registered to me, so I averted my gaze and pushed away from him.

"I'm fine, thanks," I muttered a little more harshly than was necessary. We floated back towards the ground, and I could still feel his gaze following me as I noticed the audience before me. The Council was here, every single member present and accounted for. _Please let this mean what I think it means…_

"Riley, good to see you're keeping busy," Aurora commented. "I assume you can guess why we've called you both here."

"Another soul catch? Already?" I wondered. I knew I'd be heading back to work soon, but it seemed like no time had passed at all. Not like I can even tell how much time has passed in this place… Nonetheless I was still _extremely_ excited to get back to work. I glanced to my right at Bodhi. Why was he even here? Don't they know I don't need a guide anymore, especially after my last victory?

Aurora –_annoyingly_ – as usual, responded to my thoughts aloud. "This mission will require both of you, believe me. We are actually looking for two entities this time. They are both connected, but it's as if they each have their own worlds. These fantasy worlds are what they have chosen to live in, while completely shutting each other out despite their close proximity."

"This is beginning to sound a lot like my last catch," I quipped. Just more of the same old _blippity blah _that I'm used to. Another set of ghosts living in a made up, totally old-school world is something I can definitely handle.

"Riley has a point," Bodhi agreed, strangely. He looked from The Council to me, then back to them to add, "Why are we getting such a similar mission from the last one?"

"I guess because you're good at it. But don't get me wrong, it will not be easy in the slightest. In order to get these souls to move on, they will have to finally acknowledge each other. This is something our best soul catchers have been attempting to do for decades." Aurora explained.

"Well, alright," I exhaled. I figured there was no use in arguing. "Is there anything we need to know? Any helpful hints?"

"I assure you we will give as much help as we can with this mission, but I'm afraid we really don't have much to offer," Aurora answered, again. "We will give Bodhi all the information necessary while you go and make sure your magazine is in good hands for your departure. I wish you both the best of luck."

**··············**

Awhile later, after I had talked to my staff and explained my situation to them – and leaving one of my best friends I had hired, Caesha, in charge – I met Bodhi at the bridge. And just like old times, Buttercup trotted alongside me, just as antsy for a new mission as I had been. Bodhi was already there waiting for us, as expected. _Do-gooder._ He held a sheet of paper with only a single, hand-scrawled paragraph on it.

"So what's on the paper?" I questioned. I wasn't quite sure yet whether I wanted to be friendly and move on from our previous fight, so I asked in a purely business-like manner.

"We can discuss it all on the train, since we'll have some time to kill." He looked down at the ground and his swoopy hair fell over his eyes, blocking them from my vision. A few seconds later he raised his head, flipping the hair to the side in that teen pop sensation way, and looked me straight in the eyes. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier, when we were arguing. If I hurt you in any way I apologize, but we do need to get past this. Not just for our work, but also for our friendship."

_Friendship._ It sounded so strange to me, and the way he said it clearly expressed that he had found it strange to say too. I was still getting used to thinking of Bodhi as a friend, but I guess it's true. We're partners, but also friends. He was right, and I had acted irrationally towards him in my anger towards him and Jasmine, his girlfriend. I didn't even know why I was angry. Actually, I have an idea but I like to push that out of mind and focus on less terribly embarrassing things.

"Thank you for apologizing," I say, finally. "I guess I'm, er, sorry too." I was never really good at apologies, despite how sincerely I meant it. I actually did mean what I said, but when Bodhi's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened I could clearly see that he wasn't convinced.

"Right. Well I suppose we should get a move on then?" He asked while looking off into the distance.

"I guess so," I responded less than enthusiastically. Bodhi set off and waved for me to follow, and Buttercup and I were already rushing just to keep up. _So this is how it's going to be…_ Oh no way. This is just as much my catch as it is his, and he is _so _not taking charge as always. He's not my guide anymore, he's my partner. And the faster he figures that one out, the better.

"You know," I called out ahead of me. Bodhi kept right on walking, but he turned his head slightly to indicate he was listening, "you do realize we're working together on this one, right? It's not all student versus teacher anymore… we're a team now."

"Ha! Please" he had the nerve to scoff, "as if you actually believe that."

Now I was angry. "I do, _actually,_" I spat. "In fact, I'm only wondering if _you_ do. I thought that's what you were always telling me? You know: we have to work together, be a team… All that jazz." I was definitely going to win this argument.

He spun on his heel and stopped right ahead of me, not allowing me to walk any further. We were very close.

"If you're finally ready to accept and work with that, than I'd be more than happy to oblige," he retorted sternly. "From here on out we're a team, _friends,_ even. We stop all this useless bickering and finally start working together, deal?"

"Absolutely. Anything else you'd like to add or can we go rummage up some lost souls?"

He chuckled and began walking again, this time right alongside me. "Let's do this."


	6. Rot and Ruin

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took me so long, but it finally gets the story going. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Bodhi

Chapter 6: Rot and Ruin

* * *

"Seriously, that's it?" Riley questioned in disbelief, her tone borderline hysteric. "You've got to be kidding me. The Council can't just chuck us into a mission with barely any information beforehand!"

I dragged my hand down my face, praying that somewhere within me I held some tangible form of patience. "They didn't have any more information to give. They told us everything that they possibly could. All we –_any of us_ – know is that the couple are both living in some abandoned house, stuck in a lifestyle from a different time, and that they refuse to acknowledge each other. And by stubbornly staying in their own little worlds, they aren't allowing themselves to be set free. It's up to us to figure out why they stay and that will allow us to help them."

She turned away from me to look out the window of the train. A breathtaking riverside darted past us in a vibrant, turquoise blur. Her foot tapped the floor sporadically as she gnawed at her fingers. These subtle nervous ticks intrigued me – they reminded me that she was still a scared, small young girl inside that righteous, cocky, _bratty_ exterior.

"Hey," I placed my hand on her shoulder. "What's scaring you? You know you can do this. I gave you less information than this for your last mission, and look at how well you did."

She glanced down at my hand, currently resting on her shoulder, as she spoke. "I don't know," her voice was somewhere else, distant. She was thinking about something, something truly important and each silent second that passed made me grow more and more anxious. I didn't understand why I suddenly craved to know what was going on inside that distracted head of hers, so I gave up.

"Alright," I sighed in defeat.

After almost an hour of empty silence between us – mainly filled with my gaze continually drifting towards her in an attempt to search for any hint as to what had her so wary of this particular mission, to no avail – we pulled into the station in a city called Camden, New Jersey. I knew all about this place from discussing it in a class back in school when I was alive. We exited the train and I flew straight upwards, taking in my surroundings. I knew exactly where to start.

"Follow me," I called down to her. Her and Buttercup shot upwards and stopped right alongside me.

"Where are we going, then?" She sounded less than enthusiastic, which is exactly why I needed her attention.

"We're taking a quick detour. I think you might want to know a little bit of backstory to this place before we jump right in," I explained. She started ahead of me and glanced back.

"Sounds riveting, can we go then?" She spat back facetiously, her tone and eyes were cold and humourless. She was hiding something and trying to cover it up by engaging brat-mode to full blast.

_On_ _the bright side, you can't kill her even if you wanted to… seeing as you're both already dead,_ I internally reminded myself. I couldn't stand how her childish attitude could drive me absolutely mental in a split second. I sucked in a deep breath, not that it was necessary, and led the way.

**··············**

Our feet dangled off the edge of the tall building. It wasn't skyscraper kind of tall, but still massive. We were sitting on the rooftop of The Camden City Hall Building. It was beautiful, complete with a large clock at the top that reminded me of the tower of Big Ben. The structure was well-kept and despite its dull grey, cemented appearance, it was downright magnificent. The view below us, on the other hand, was far from such.

Riley was seated beside me and held her hand over her mouth – for once – utterly speechless. I followed her gaze to the crumbled city before us. Buildings in shambles, no vegetation and citizens sparsely scattered among the streets. Buttercup lay between us with his nose flat on the roof and ears lowered. He let out a worried whine. I scratched between his ears and he relaxed a bit, but he still showed the uneasiness we all shared while taking in the shocking scene before us.

"It's not a ghost town…" Riley muttered, possibly to herself. Her voice sounded strangled and small. "There are people still down there. _Why?_ Why would they stay?"

"This place was in its glory during the war," I explained to her. Her eyes scanned the scenery but I could tell she was listening intently. "It was the biggest shipyard around – a true industrial powerhouse. It was glamorous, the place to be. Hands down, the biggest and best warships came from right here. It used to be beautiful, just _breathtaking_. Then about after the 50's it began to die. Population dropped and the government slashed spending alongside many other things that leave us with this.

"This building we're on right now is basically the only thing here that hasn't been left to rot and ruin. Yet, even among the destroyed houses and littered streets it's like you can still see the beauty of that time in the architecture. I would give anything to see what it was like in its glory days."

She turned to me. "How do you know so much about this place? Did The Council tell you all this?" She asked.

"No, I uh, actually learned it in school back when I was alive. Guess it came in handy, huh?"

"Neat." She sounded sincere for once. It was a nice. "So I'm assuming the wayward souls we're looking for are located in one of these scary buildings?"

I squinted and scanned the city. There it was, right on a street corner just a few blocks down. I pointed it out to her until she spotted it too. I stood up, preparing to start our journey, but she latched onto my arm and held me firmly in place, panic in her eyes.

"Before we go down, I…" She trailed off. "Can we just try and stay off the streets as much as possible? It sounds stupid I just-"

"No," I cut her off, softly. "I get it. C'mon, we'll fly as much as we can."

I surely didn't blame her. I left out the detail that these streets are debatably the worst, most dangerous streets in the entire United States, but I guess I didn't need to tell her. Heck, it's clear as day looking down at them. It was heartbreaking, and – despite us being dead – just downright _scary._

We landed on what could arguably be called a sidewalk in front of our destination. It didn't look like it used to be a house, instead more like a large office building or a warehouse. It was about 3 stories high and was made out of a dark reddish-brown brick. The windows were either left as gaping holes scattered around it or boarded up completely. There were no doors, instead just large holes in the walls. _Strange,_ I thought. The Council said these people were supposed to have created some world within these walls, so why did it look like just another abandoned shack? And why choose such an open building? At least some of the other, more inhabitable ones were completely boarded up. It just didn't look the part I imagined it would.

"This place is major creep-central," Riley announced, rather loudly. Glad to see that her cocky demeanor was back. _Lovely, and just in time, too._

"You can say that again," I muttered distractedly, still trying to understand the place. Buttercup sniffed around the building, and the closer he got, the more wary it made me. I guess if anyone were to sense something wrong, he'd be the first, so I let him wander. Heck, maybe he could even find something useful. If only ghosts left some tangible evidence behind.

"Alright," she turned to face me, hands on hips and one eyebrow cocked. _Here we go… _"We need our plan of attack."

I scratched my head with one hand and motioned for her to follow with the other as I circled the building, not really looking for anything in particular. "We do the same thing as every other time," I replied while walking. "We wait it out until we see something happening, then we head on in and learn as much as we can so we know what we're dealing with."

We stood facing each other once again. Me with my hands crammed in my pockets, complete with my signature recently-manifested green straw hanging from my mouth, and her still looking at the building, narrowing her eyes and biting her lip in concentration. _Since when does she bite her lip when she thinks? And why hadn't I noticed it before? _Not many people looked good biting their lower lip, but she suited it. It looked good.

I'd been unintentionally staring at her lips for too long.

"What? _Hello?_ Earth to Bodhi!" She called, her voice hitched up at the end and her cheeks reddened.

"What? No! Sorry I just…" My voice trailed off. Her eyes avoided mine and she licked her lips, drawing my gaze towards them yet again…

She rolled her eyes, probably annoyed with my lack of conversation. In my defence I was a little alarmed at my own train of thought at the moment and she wasn't helping. "Follow me," she ordered as she flew up to another building across the street. I took a second to recollect myself and push whatever that was out of my mind before I joined her. She surveyed the area mid-air and finally perched herself on a rooftop of a tiny, shack-like house. She whistled for Buttercup to and he loyally joined us in a matter of seconds.

"So?" I questioned.

"Like you said," She replied, staring intently at the abandoned structure that supposedly held a whole world within it being run by the very souls we planned to collect. The sun was setting over the city, and nightfall quickly approached. I looked towards her and she met my gaze, a mischievous glint to her eyes.

"We wait for our time to strike."

I gulped instinctively. Oh, boy. This mission was going to be quite the ride.


	7. Ghost Town

**A/N: I am absolutely adoring where this story is headed, and I've loved researching the location (Camden, NJ, U.S.) for it. I don't really know why I chose Camden, I just came across it online and did a little research and I fell in love and I hope you guys will too. It's not a very pretty or safe place, but it's got a lot of character and a ton of potential for great storylines!**

****Oh and disclaimer: I still don't own these characters or the books they originate from. **

* * *

_Riley_

_Chapter 7: Ghost Town_

* * *

Bodhi's deep, warming chuckle echoed through the barren city streets. Sometimes I wished people could hear us, just to feel like we were actually apart of their world, but on these streets I was more than relieved that we went unnoticed.

"So you're expecting something out of like _Hocus Pocus_ in there?" He asked disbelievingly, amusement lighting up his features.

"Well I don't know!" I laughed back. It felt good to laugh; I was getting tired of being scared every time a shadowed figure moved along the streets. I know they can't hurt me, but it's still scary as all hell here. And nightfall made it horrifically worse.

"I mean how can two people live in a singular creep-central house yet not know the other is within the same freaking walls? What other excuse could there be other than they're both off doing some stupid rituals huddled over a cauldron in a feeble attempt to call each other back from the dead, ignorant to the fact they remain within twenty feet of the other? Now _that _would be funny. You know, like in the dark, _I totally feel bad for you, but you guys are idiots, _kind of way."

"Well I guess we'll find that out soon enough," He shook his head and rolled his eyes playfully, still smiling.

Geez, this was taking forever.

"That is if anything ever happens around here!" I called out into the darkness, my only reply coming from beside me as my partner shushed me. I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated beyond belief. Who knew how long we'd been sitting on this stupid, deteriorating rooftop?

"They must be two pretty stubborn people to be able to avoid each other like that, yet still be so clueless." I mused while staring at the abandoned building before me.

I turned back to look at Bodhi. He quirked an eyebrow and a charmingly smug half smile gradually spread along his lips. He stared at me.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes, suspicious of his sudden change in air. It was, for lack of a better word, _unarming_, to see such a cocky, playful, and mischievous glimmer in his eyes, opposed to his usual uptight and business-like manner. His smile only grew.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about stubborn or bratty behaviour, now would you?" He looked pleased with himself. Typical.

"I never said bratty, thank you. But ha-ha, prize observation mister know-it-all guide," I spat back at him. His chuckle turned into a full-out laugh, which only fueled my annoyance. _So_ not cool.

"Oh just relax, Riley. I'm only messing with you. It's nice, you know, being able to… I don't know, just be normal."

I couldn't have set it better myself. But no way was I going to let him see that.

"Normal coming from the two ghost kids on a midnight stakeout waiting for some gathering of lost souls to appear out of thin air," I retorted half-heartedly. "And don't get too used to it, we a have a job to do, remember?"

He exhaled. Then once again, just like our previous fight back in the _Here and Now,_ he gives me a tired look and momentarily gives up. Just like that. What was with him lately? Was he really _that _determined to do this whole friendship and cease-fire thing? I opened my mouth to try and get some kind of reaction out of him, but the words slammed to a halt in my throat when a trail of light zoomed past me, nearly knocking me off balance, despite already being sitting down.

"What in the heck was-" I start.

"Shush," Bodhi whispers demandingly. "Riley, look…" He mumbled, trailing off. He sounded mesmerized. I don't blame him. There had to be hundreds… From all around us, shimmering trails of light zoomed past, all heading straight into the house we sought to enter. They all varied in shades of colour. But it wasn't just light – it's energy.

"Bodhi, they're auras," I whisper excitedly. Finally something was happening! "It's their energy, they're flying. Is this what we look like to other souls when we fly too?" I wondered aloud. Where the heck were all these ghosts coming from?

"These people must all be trapped here too," Bodhi answers my thoughts. "But it's like they come out for some kind of gathering at night."

Music began vibrating from the walls of the place. My head darted from side to side, scanning the area and waiting for someone to notice. Nothing. Was it just this particular side of town that was abandoned?

Seeming to follow the exact same train of thought I had been, Bodhi pointed to someone down on the sidewalk. "Look, that person right there. He's looking right at the house, he hears it. But how can they create something that people can hear?" He asked. His confusion matched my own. Suddenly, something dawned on me.

"Bodhi," I turned to him. "The people we've been seeing on the streets tonight, how do we know they were alive? Maybe they just didn't care that we were up here. Maybe they're all…" I trailed off.

His lips parted ever so slightly, allowing a subtle gasp to escape. "It's a true ghost town," He muttered, awestruck. His eyes lit up once again, illuminating his marvelous smile. Just as quickly as it appeared, it dropped right off his face. "But how do we know? The people we saw during the day were surely alive, I could tell. But how do we tell these ones aren't?"

"They have auras!" I announced excitedly. "I don't know about you, but I can't see the living's energy. They aren't justenergy, Bodhi – but _we_ _are_."

The man on the street peeled his eyes off the house and looked around, his gaze eventually scanning upwards landing on us. He was wearing what almost looked like a suit, but very less like a businessman and more like the pictures I used to look at of my great-great grandfather. In fact, he looked about the same age as him too; I almost thought it was him for a second. Neat. I took a leap of faith.

"Hello, sir!" I called out to him. Bodhi whipped around to face me, his eyes darting between me and the man below in sheer panic.

He simply stared at me for a moment. Eventually a rather confused yet friendly smile warmed his face as he called back to me. "Hello up there, little lady," His accent made me giggle, and Bodhi elbowed me in the ribs. I shot a look at him. What? I couldn't help it, he sounded like an old-timey radio host that you'd hear in black and white films.

"Oh, just follow me" I nodded my head toward the man and motioned for Bodhi to come with. He just stared in disbelief. "Bodhi, please. Trust me just this once." He sighed and floated down first, leading the way. When we landed, he stood slightly ahead of me, blocking me from the gentleman's view. The man clad in the retro gear spoke first.

"Interesting rags you folks got on," He noted. His hair was combed back and greying and a fat cigar hung from his mouth. It reminded me of Bodhi's green straw habit. I went to speak but Bodhi cut me off. Ugh, that grated my nerves. Why did he always have to be in control of everything?

"Yes, well we're just passing through," he explained, obviously not trusting the man fully. "What is this place? Where are all the living people?"

The man chuckled slightly, his tone amused. "Well Sonny, look around. Doubt anyone would be willing to live on this particular street anymore, especially at night time. Sometimes it still gives me the creeps."

"How many souls live around here? Any why do they all seem to gather in that house?" I asked, stepping around Bodhi. He gave me a pleading, hurt look and grasped my arm in his hand. The contact shocked me with electricity and I bit my lip to keep in a confused gasp that threatened to escape. He just kept looking at me. Wait, was he _protecting _me?

Old Guy raised an eyebrow. "Gee, ya sure are the curious couple, aren't ya? I'll letcha in on it, anyway. Ya see, many of us around here chose to stay after we passed on. Personally, it just broke my heart to see what has become of this place and I want to be here when it makes a comeback." He explained proudly. Poor, delusional old man.

"As for the matter of this here house," He continued, "Seems there's a fella here who knows how to throw quite the party. Does so every single night since I can remember. I always take a stroll down here around this hour, makin' sure the youngsters don't get into the kind of shenanigans I got away with as a young man," he laughed.

I found myself smiling in return. I knew I couldn't save him, it wasn't my job, but it still stung. He seemed so sweet. My job remained inside the currently vibrating walls across the street.

"Wow, this place is fascinating. Thank you, sir," Bodhi replied for me. Old Guy extended his hand and Bodhi grasped it, shaking the man's hand sternly, in a very business-like manner. They were very similar, I noticed, in their stature and poise. Maybe Bodhi's just an old soul, which would probably explain why he insists upon being such an uptight guy all the time.

The man looked at me and tipped his hat, shooting me a wink only I could see. A blush radiated across my face.

"And doll," He said quietly, blocking his face from Bodhi with his hat, as if to speak to me privately, "Get some new rags for you and your guy here, alright? Can't have ya stickin' out like a sore thumb on these streets." He said in a mock hushed tone.

"Will do," I replied, also dramatically hushing my voice. I could hear Bodhi's foot tapping impatiently. "And he's not my guy, by the way."

The tapping faltered for a beat, then continued.

The man straightened out and placed his hat on his head, glancing between the two of us, his gaze landing on Bodhi's hand, still clutching onto my arm with a firm grip that never once loosened.

"Hm. Ya could've fooled me," Old guy muttered playfully, once again sending a wink my way, but this time I was _totally_ embarrassed. He nodded towards Bodhi and my partner nodded back sternly in reply. He walked off into the abandoned, empty darkness.

I glanced down at my arm to where Old Guy had been looking and cleared my throat.

"Care to release me?" I asked with a snarky tone.

"Only if you quit dragging me to these unnecessary, stressful situations," He replied shortly, finally letting go of my arm. The tingling feeling leaving along with it.

"We needed information Bodhi. I had to give it a shot," I explained softly. "I just asked you to trust me, just for once."

He looked down at me, his expression foreign to me, almost like he was looking at something fragile on the verge of shattering. "I do," He replied, his voice taking on a tone even gentler than mine. He blinked repeatedly and cleared his throat, looking off toward our destination across the street.

"Shall we?"


	8. Partners

**A/N: Here it is! Finally these two crazy kids start their mission. I don't know how long this story will last, so I didn't want to rush it. Reviews, favourites and follows are always welcome!**

* * *

_Bodhi_

_Chapter 8: Partners_

* * *

We approached an entrance to the building – if you could even call it an entrance. It was just a large, gaping hole in the wall, all boarded up except for one corner that was small enough for us to get through, and hopefully unnoticed. I turned to Riley.

"Remember, we only have two souls in there," I warned. "The others are not our problem."

She rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff of air.

"Ya ya ya, I know. I'm little miss angel now, remember?" She replied, using a sugary sweet, completely fake voice that had _brat_ written all over it.

"Riley, I'm serious about this."

"I know," She said, her voice getting smaller. I gave her a stern look. She searches my eyes, hers wide and blinking rapidly. Her shoulders slouched and she looked down at the ground, digging the toe of her shoe into the ground, tracing circles.

"I know," she murmured, losing all conviction she held in her voice. "I promise, okay? I really do."

"Thank-" She quickly cuts me off.

"And I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry for everything I said when we were fighting back in the _Here and Now_ and I had no place to say any of that." She spluttered out hurriedly. Jeez, she really wasn't good at delivering apologies.

I smiled softly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, too. And thank you." I sincerely meant it, which should have been surprising, but upon looking down at her genuinely kind smile, it wasn't all that strange. I inhaled deeply – a nervous habit, I guess – and faced the door. "I'm kind of scared," I divulged. I didn't really mean to do it; it just slipped off my tongue. But it was true. I'd never been in this kind of situation before. Who knows what kind of alluring world we could get sucked into in there?

"Why do you think I was so weird on the train?" Her voice shook. "But then as you were telling me all about this place, and how much knowledge you had about the way of life here, I realized we're a team now. There are two of us – and just like last time, I'm not leaving here without you." She said, as her voice drifting to a mere whisper near the end. She straightened up and took a step back from the warehouse, scanning the entire structure.

"And besides," She continued, her voice much stronger and confident sounding with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "I know I am _so_ not sticking around this freaky town, no matter what it looks like in there. Not when there are so many things waiting for us back home."

I grasped her hand in mine. I'm not sure why I did it. I just needed to know we were in this together – partners.

"Promise me we won't get sucked in?" I asked. My voice sounded strangled. I _felt_ strangled. "Because after last time…" I couldn't even finish, there was a lump forming in my throat and it kept getting worse the longer I imagined her clad in that disguise, completely oblivious to my existence. I'd felt hopeless – I thought I would never get her back.

She moved her gaze away from my hands and up to my face, squeezing my hand in hers reassuringly.

"I promise you, Bodhi. We're a team. And we're getting out of this as soon as we wrangle up these idiot souls." She smirked.

I let out a deep, throaty chuckle, clearly needing to let go of some of the tension this moment brought with it.

"Well that's good," I sighed, letting relief wash over me, even if it was just for a short moment. I felt my eyes being drawn to the hole in the boarded wall before us, and down to the small patch of light we were to enter through. "Because I'm not letting you leave my sight."

I grasped her hand even harder and ducked under the wooden entrance into the large, brightly-lit room. We both gasped simultaneously. We were surrounded by probably well over a hundred people, all dead, and all so… _outdated_. A large record player blasted upbeat, swinging jazz music and people were dancing everywhere. Their outfits looked positively hilarious: the girls wore anything from wide skirts and dresses to skin tight shorts that rose halfway up their abdomens. The boys on the other hand wore rolled up, collared shirts, sometimes with small flattened hats or leather jackets. Some even wore those high-cut trousers with suspenders or skinny jeans that showed a quarter of their calves. There wasn't a single person without a short hairstyle in sight, either. _This is amazing,_ I mused.

I glanced downward to an equally awestruck Riley beside me. "I can't tell if we just walked out of a time machine or this is the cast of _Guys and Dolls_," I muttered playfully, leaning in close so we remained unnoticed.

She looked up at me, suddenly panicked. "Uh oh," she choked out, her head darting around the room, searching for something.

"What?" I replied hurriedly. "Riley! Riley, what's happening?!" I was almost shouting.

She grabbed my arm and ducked behind a giant, tacky floral couch, taking both me and Buttercup down with her. I was crouched and instinctively ready for danger as Riley held her finger up to her mouth, signalling for me to wait. After a moment she spoke.

"Someone noticed us," said Riley. She sounded wary. She looked wary. "And by the look that guy gave me, he wasn't too happy to see… well, someone who didn't look like they were from a time prior to the 1950's.

"So what do we do now? I mean, where do we go from here?" I questioned. I'm sure I could think of a plan of my own, but the look in her eyes told me she was thinking our next step through quite thoroughly. She remained stoic, staring at the couch right ahead of her and biting her lip, apparently a new habit she had developed recently. Then there it was – _the light bulb. _She snapped her head in my direction, her hair whipping against my face. She had a unique scent to her… almost like a freshly-mown lawn and something sweet, too.

"I have an idea," she said slowly, clearly trying to create some form of melodramatic anticipation that I really wasn't in the mood for. A lazy, devious fox smile gradually crept up her lips and she looked me up and down. I felt nervous, almost _naked _under her roaming eyes. _What was she doing, trying to look right through me?_

"Riley, please" I snapped defensively, more than ready to put that moment behind us. "What?"

"Trust me?" Her voice stayed sugar sweet but the fox smile just continued to grow until it lit up her eyes.

I sighed. Clearly the theatrics weren't going away any time soon. "Of course."

Before I could say another word she closed her eyes tightly. In less than a second her jeans, floral tank top and cardigan were replaced with a white dress with yellow flowers that reached just past her knees; complete with a high neckline, pearls strung around her neck and her hair done up in a fancy bun. She looked at me, eyes sparkling in enthusiasm and excitement. She looked older, somehow. More mature and refined yet still had such a youthful air to her. Jeez, her and these freaking disguises were going to drive me mental. I merely shook my head and laughed.

"Looks amazing, kid," I said – and I meant it. Her aura sparked up a bit, almost unnoticeably.

"And now for you!" She exclaimed, practically singing. Before I could even utter a word in protest, my casual jeans and sweater were replaced with a white collared shirt (tucked into my pants and rolled up at the elbows) under a rough, brown vest, with a flat newsboy cap on my head. My light, semi-loose jeans were now a tight-fitting, dark wash pair that weren't long enough to cover my ankles. I deadpanned to her and she giggled.

"Is this really necessary?" I moaned unenthusiastically.

"Uh _duh_! Unless you want to get noticed and screw up our cover?" She replied sarcastically and gave me a pointed look. She won this time, and she sure as heck knew it. My shirt suddenly felt too tight, so I began to fiddle with the top button, trying to free it. Riley leaned forward, her face mere inches from mine.

"Here, allow me," She chuckled, obviously pitying me. She undid the top three buttons, then after taking a second look, undid my vest completely and left it open. "There, you look so handsome," she announced while tugging at my open collar. Her hand grazed my neck and sent a shiver pulsing through me.

"What?" I pressed playfully. "Haven't I always looked handsome?"

She bit her lip and giggled, diverting her gaze to the ground. Her hand went to the spot between Buttercup's ears, probably out of subconscious habit, and a new thought dawned on me. _Crap._

"Buttercup," I exhaled.

"Hm?" She perked up.

"What do we do about Buttercup?" I asked. "I don't know about you but I didn't see any dogs in there." She shook her head, still not catching my point.

"Riley. If you were them, wouldn't you notice if a dog just suddenly appeared? He'll give us away."

"_Crap_," she moaned, looking at Buttercup worriedly.


	9. Stay Quiet

_Riley_

_Chapter 9: Stay Quiet_

* * *

"Well that's good. Because I'm not letting you out of my sight," Bodhi basically growled, his voice taking on a very protective, dominant edge as he clutched my hand firmly and led us through the small opening of the boarded up wall.

It took my eyes a minute to adjust to the brightly lit room, but when they did I was in a state of complete shock. The room before me was more alive than anything I'd seen since the day I died. Multicolour lights hung from anywhere possible, and people either crowded around tables or gathered in a space in the middle of the room which I could rightfully assume was reserved for dancing purposes. A large record player, bigger than any I had ever seen, sat in the corner of the room and blasted some kind of upbeat jazz music, causing the voices to reach shouting level. My head already throbbed, but I remained completely captivated.

The outfits were hilarious, too. It was so _retro-chic _and totally glamorous – well, back in its prime. Which, now that I think about it, must be the time that these people choose to live in. Although the coliseum from my last mission was gorgeous, this place was equally as enticing. Though unlike last time the people _here_ were real, not just manifestations, which made the sight before me much more lively and booming. I continued to gaze around the room in my trance-like state until I settled in on a group of young men leaning across a makeshift wooden bar at another end of the room. They were huddled close to each other and it looked like they were talking about something important, secretive even. One of the guys scanned the room, looking right past me. Less than a few seconds later his head whipped back in my direction and his eyebrows lowered as his gaze honed in on me.

Bodhi leaned down and whispered something to me. I had no idea what he had said due to my sudden state of panic. The guy who noticed us tapped one of his friends on the shoulder, and I knew if I didn't act fast something bad was going to happen. I had a gut feeling they didn't want people like us snooping around. There was something bigger going on here, and I knew that whatever it was is going to help us catch those two souls.

I faced Bodhi when he spoke to me, but turned away quickly, desperately searching for somewhere to hide.

"What?" Bodhi whispered harshly. "Riley! Riley, what's happening?!"

I grabbed his arm and Buttercups collar and dragged us all behind a couch just a few feet away. Hopefully we'd be safe until we figured out our next move.

** ··············**

"_Crap_," I groaned. What were we going to do about Buttercup? I could tell by the way his tail constantly wagged and how he sniffed the area around him that he was getting antsy. We couldn't risk losing our cover this early in the game. Now that we had proper disguises, we could hopefully get somewhere safe without drawing attention to ourselves. But a large, overly-excitable yellow lab? _Crap, crap, crap!_

"Upstairs," I suggested. "There's obviously multiple floors to this place, so let's just get him settled somewhere so we can go get some information." Bodhi rubbed his chin nervously while slowly nodding his head.

"Yeah, alright. We'll find a deserted room and – considering that it doesn't seem like many of these people stay during the day – we should be able to stay wherever we put him, too."

"Okay… okay," I chanted, trying to find some form of dauntlessness for this risky task. If we get noticed we're done for, I could feel it. "Did you see a staircase anywhere?" I asked, suddenly panicked due to the new obstacle that faced us. If we couldn't even reach the stairs then… _Oh jeez._

"I have an idea. Stay here, stay quiet and wait for my signal," Bodhi commanded.

"What?!" I gasped. "Bodhi, get back here!" But he'd already stood up and slowly began walking into the crowd of people. As soon as he entered the hoard of doo-wop-errs I lost him. _Hey, on the bright side, at least I make believable disguises_. I remained crouched and latching onto Buttercups collar, frantically searching the room and waiting for some hopefully-existing signal. A long time had passed, like a _long_ time, with still no sign of Bodhi. I couldn't wait anymore, I was gonna lose my mind from a panic attack or something. I don't know what it was about this place that made me so anxious, but something here wasn't right – dangerous, even – and there was no way I was setting Bodhi loose here by himself. My intuition was something I trusted dearly, and something in here just wasn't safe.

I manifested a leash for Buttercup and looped it snugly around a wooden leg of the couch.

"I won't be long," I cooed, trying to ignore his wide eyes and drooped ears. I stood up cautiously and started into the endless crowd of people. I scooted around scattered tables and chairs and avoided the dance floor like the plague itself. I must have circled the room four times before I started to panic again. I'd lost him. The room around me was spinning and I felt nauseous. _Did he go upstairs already? Was he even in the building anymore? What if someone – or something – took him? What if-?_

"Look!" A girl trilled from somewhere within the crowd of party-goers. "There are fireworks outside! Come and look!"

Sure enough, the sky was aglow with dazzling colour. Most of the people in the room rushed past me to a large, gaping hole that was probably once a window and gazed up at the crackling show of light. Someone brushed past me, nearly knocking me over. He turned around and smiled at me. _Oh boy_, he was cute. His white V-neck t-shirt, red cardigan, cropped skinny jeans and his hair styled in a slicked up quiff all suited him amazingly well. He cocked his head to the side, eyebrows rising as he studied me. The knot in my chest grew and I began to back away, about to run for cover again. _Why didn't I listen to Bodhi?_

"Aren't you coming to watch?" He questioned sincerely, snapping me out of my state of panic. "I mean it's not every day we get to see stuff like this." He held his hand out, awaiting me to take it in mine. I took it gingerly, unsure of what else to do. If I ran, he'd surely know something was up. He led me towards the window and released my hand.

"I'm Jonathan, but everyone around here calls me Jonny," He glanced over at me and winked. What was up with people from this time and winking? He looked back up at the captivating sky as he continued. "With whom do I have the pleasure of chatting with, Dollface?" He asked, still looking up. Before I could tell him my name I felt a fire-hot hand clutch my arm and the next thing I knew I was running in the opposite direction, being dragged by Bodhi back behind the couch. He began tugging at Buttercups leash, not once looking at me. After a few moments of frantically working to free my dog, he finally got it loose.

"Run, and keep up," He growled, shooting off ahead of me through the recently almost-emptied room. He and Buttercup turned a corner into another corridor, this one suited the building much more for it was all deteriorating brick along the walls and cracked concrete, sometimes lifting in spots, below our feet. About two more borderline-frightening hallways later we reached a staircase. It was wooden, rickety and basically belonged in one of those horror movies where someone is getting dragged into a basement. Bodhi flew up instead of walking, which I was more than okay with following suit.

Now that we had successfully gotten past the crowd, we slowed our sprinting down to a fast walk. Bodhi manifested flashlights for us to see through the pitch black hallway, and I lit the candles that dangled down from the ceiling and littered the walls. Buttercup hadn't made a single sound in protest, so I assumed that we were safe for the time being. Bodhi stopped at the end of the hallway, hitting a dead end and looked back down the hall at the doors that lined the walls, obviously trying to choose which one to go into. I walked back the way we came and opened about the third door down on our left. Even the door was spooky and ancient. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the handle, the door making a heinous creaking noise in response. Bodhi grabbed my hand and stopped me, leaving the door about half opened.

"Listen," He whispered softly. A muted scratching came from inside the room. I instinctively took a step back from the door, but my foot made a floorboard beneath me creak loudly. My head whipped down at the floor and I froze. The scratching stopped. It was replaced with a clicking noise, and it slowly got closer and closer. Buttercup's ears flattened and a deep snarl escaped his lips. The clicking increased speed and suddenly a black, shadowed creature shot into the hallway, straight towards me. Buttercup's snarl turned into a menacing, booming growl. The creature took one look at Buttercup and bolted back down the hallway until it was out of sight. Bodhi was holding back Buttercup for dear life (ha) and dragging him into the room. At first I thought he was crazy, dragging my dog into a room that held some freaky animal that tried to eat a ghost, but then I realized that whatever was in there would be way more scared of my dog than anything. I remained stoic in the hallway, completely in shock and scared senseless, until Bodhi harshly whispered for me to enter.

"What…" I paused, "What was that?" My voice was barely audible.

"A raccoon," Bodhi replied sharply, sounding uninterested. "Animals can sense the dead, remember. And it looks like the coast is clear now. This room should be fine."

The room before me was _so_ not fine. Cobwebs hung from basically anywhere – luckily I could walk right through them if I focused hard enough. It looked like this room was once an office or something, for it had a large desk right in front of two glass doors that opened to a balcony outside. Grey moonlight lit the room, giving it an even more ominous, shadowed and spooky appearance. The tacky, patterned wallpaper was peeling from the walls and giant bookshelves and filing cabinets were coated in a layer of dust so thick I could barely make out the colour of the furniture underneath. Bodhi had tied Buttercup to the leg of the desk and was walking around the room, investigating.

There was no way I was staying in this place.


	10. No Cheating

**A/N: You know that thing called writer's block? It's terrible. OKAY so this may just seem like a filler chapter but it is one of my personal favourites and it finally gets them ready to begin their soul catch. I already know exactly what I want to do with the next chapter, so if I'm lucky it might be up today too! (Think of it as an apology for taking so damn long to get this chapter up). Thank you all for your support, reviews, and just for reading in general. I LOVE reviews so keep 'em coming, I can take a little criticism :)**

_Bodhi_

_Chapter 10: No Cheating_

* * *

We spent the remainder of the night and all of the next day preparing what seemed to be an abandoned office of some kind. We completely refurnished it and – seeing as we could merely manifest whatever we desired – the only conflicts that arose were when we would try to agree on something.

We fought often.

"Bodhi, will you _please_ just let me pick out the beds," Riley whined for what seemed like the eighth time in the past hour. I turned to her tiredly.

"Yes, alright fine. Just make it quick, we still haven't figured out our plan for the night."

She danced to the center of the room, clearly pleased she had finally won the argument. She circled the space before her and made her way to the left wall where an enormous bookshelf towered at least ten feet above, taking up the entire wall from what I could see. I could hardly make out the dark wood under its shroud of dust. Riley studied the shelf, almost looking as if she cared for the books on them, but I knew that what she had in mind had nothing to do with them.

"Hey!" I called out. "You remember our agreement, right? You can-"

"Yeah, yeah," She cut me off. "I can do whatever I want to the room as long as we keep the hardwood floors, fireplace, bookshelf, and chandelier." She groaned. I smiled smugly.

"Thank you, it's all I ask."

Another few hours - filled with incessant bickering and disagreeing - later, we finally had created a space for us to sleep. It seemed stupid to want to stay directly in the heart of the place we could possibly get sucked into for all eternity, but we didn't really have anywhere else to go. Nearly every building within the closest mile of this place was completely destroyed, and we didn't have the time, energy or desire to venture out and do a complete home makeover. So we decided to stay here. It was close to the mission and we could keep an eye on things. Plus, if we ever ran into trouble and needed a safe house, it was just up a staircase and down the hall.

Riley perched herself on the edge of the bed she had recently made: a double bed with brown pillows and a white down comforter that had what looked like leaves blowing from the bottom corner and scattering upward along it. Its exact twin lay just a few feet away from it. What she had done with the room was absolutely breathtaking. My favourite part involved the bookshelf. We realized that although the shelf took up almost the entire wall, a large filing cabinet had completely hidden an opening about six feet wide between where the book shelf ended and the beginning of the back wall. It was probably where the person who's office this was – obviously someone very high up in the company – hid money, valuables and who knows what else? Riley replaced the filing cabinet that had previously blocked it with a thin tan curtain, and placed the two beds in there along with a few other basic bedroom items (nightstands, lamps, etc.) and had twinkling white Christmas lights lining the very top of the walls where they met the ceiling. She even included a dark brown dog bed that sat snugly in the corner, of which Buttercup currently was curled up on. This room, as Riley had explained to me, ensured that since we most likely would be sleeping in shifts, just to be safe, that one of us could have privacy while the other had the rest of the room to keep them occupied.

"Wait here," She demanded excitedly, holding a hand up to block me from exiting the room.

I sat on the bed as she dashed passed the curtain. I could hear her tinkering and moving things. This all seemed a little extreme when I thought about it, but really, until night fell and the party started again, we didn't exactly have much to do. During the day, not a single ghost could be seen from what we could tell, so we couldn't get any more information. Also neither of us was completely comfortable with this creepy building yet, so snooping was, for the time being, confined to this room. After a few more minutes, Riley finally appeared at in the bedroom area before me, her dazzling smile and wild eyes making me chuckle. She was enjoying this _way_ too much.

"Ready?" She breathes. I stand up and nod, brushing off the dust from my pants.

"As I'll ever be," I smile. I reach for the curtain but she stops me, pulling out a strip of fabric from behind her back. I instantly clue in.

"Is a blindfold really necessary?" I exhale monotonously as she already ties it around my head, completely obstructing my vision.

"No cheating, okay?"

"Alright, alright."

Her warm, delicate hand grasps mine as she leads me into the room and walks me to what feels like the other side of it.

"One…" She drags the word out dramatically.

"Two," I try to sound unimpressed, but my voice comes out in an almost-chuckle and a smile tugs at my lips.

"Three!" She squeals, ripping off the blind fold. I turn in a quick circle around myself and see that I am standing right in front of the door, looking into the room. Straight ahead, the back wall has two grand doors that led out to what I assumed was a balcony. The left wall still was merely one massive bookshelf but now has a little curtain separating it from the back wall. The right wall has a large fireplace and a table with a rather big record player on it. The middle of the room was filled with a white area rug topped with various warmly-coloured couches, lounging chairs, and a very reserved coffee table. The large couch sat a few feet ahead of the doors in the center of the back wall with large windows on either side of them. Multiple lamps and plants scatter about, and the large – yet not overbearing – chandelier still hung above the middle of the room. I walked over to the record player and touched it gingerly, completely in awe.

"So?" Riley presses. She stands right beside me once again and I turn to her. Her eyes search my face.

"It's completely amazing, but…" I trail off, unsure of how to word my next comment. "A little out of character for you, don't you think?"

"Well, if it was completely my choice, I probably would have made this room into some tropical paradise or luau theme just for the heck of it," She stated matter of factly.

"But since you _had_ to have a say," She rolled her eyes playfully, still smiling, "I figured it should be what we both wanted. I kept all warm colours and your favourite pieces of the room, and I made it look mature and somewhere we wouldn't mind staying for a while."

"It's perfect then," I nodded, looking back to the record player. I'd always wanted one of these.

"As for that rickety little thing," She nodded towards the object that captured my attention, clearly picking up what I was thinking. "I saw you eyeing it in that creepy, possessive way earlier, so I made sure to keep it. I figured it might keep you occupied when we get bored in here." I smiled and rubbed her shoulder.

"Thank you."

"It was nothing," She shrugged. I nodded towards the couch and took a seat.

"So," I began. "What's our game plan for tonight?"

Riley casually walked around the room, fiddling with the placement of the plants, and even replacing one for a decorative vase atop of a tall, thin table just wide enough to hold it. She continued to mull about the room as she spoke.

"I was gonna go with nothing," She muttered, acting as if she hadn't just said the most vague, confusing thing I'd probably ever heard from her.

"Uh, what?" I question, not sure what else to say.

"Well," She breathed, her tone slightly patronizing, as if what she had to say was completely obvious. "We don't have any information to go on, so it looks like tonight is going to basically just have to be us tuning into the environment and snooping around."

"How do we go about finding the souls we're looking for then, hm?" I asked, my tone revealing that I was still unconvinced.

"First off, we need to figure out what this place is, and who's running this show. I guarantee you that has to be our guy."

"What about the girl?"

"Bodhi, I don't mean to sound prejudice, seeing as I'm obviously a female, but from what I know about the day and age these people choose to live in, it's that women didn't exactly hold too much power."

Okay, now I felt kind of stupid.

"I know _that,_" I tried to redeem myself.

"My only problem is, well… I just mean, do we focus on just him, or do we look among the girls too?"

"Well I've been thinking about that quite a bit too," I explained, "and if the guy will most likely be the leader here – I mean, The Council wouldn't just give us a couple random party-goers to catch, right? Anyway, the girl of the couple… Well I doubt she'd be anywhere near him. Something pretty bad obviously happened between them, so the more we know about him, the faster we'll get to her. That's what I think."

"You know," Riley mused. "The Council has been pretty unfair to everyone else who does this job…" She turned to me, allowing me to see that the smug little fox smile had crept up her face once again.

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head, clearly missing the point.

"You know," She continued. "Putting the two best Soul Catchers together."

I chuckled and laid back on the couch, putting my hands behind my head and closing my eyes. If I was going to be of any use for the night, I'd need at least a quick power nap.

"Damn right we are," I muttered, quietly drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Take A Breath

**A/N: This chapter may or may not be named after one of my favourite Mindy Project fanfics...**

**I have no regrets.**

* * *

_Riley_

_Chapter 11: Take a Breath_

* * *

"Ugh, would you just-" I grunted. Bodhi struggled to put on his cap and insisted upon swatting my hand away whenever I would reach towards it to help him.

"Riley, it looks fine," He muttered stubbornly, still adjusting it. We stood at the bottom of the stairs, just down the hall from where the party had started a few minutes ago.

The sun had just set, and as soon as the last ray of light was shrouded by dark, the ghosts began flying in from left and right – exactly on schedule. Although decorating that room was insanely fun, I really had no desire to stay here any longer than necessary. We'd be out of here in two, maybe three days tops, if I could help it. If this place hadn't of given me such a major case of the creeps when we first got here, I probably would have already gotten at least some semblance of a clue as to what kind of souls we were dealing with here.

I glanced over at Bodhi, who was incessantly continuing a cycle of tugging and readjusting his attire, then to his hair, and then back to his clothes. _Odd_. Constant primping wasn't exactly his forte.

"Do me a favour?" I asked softly. He met my eyes with a guarded gaze.

"What's that?" He asked. His tone was almost businesslike and passive; again, very out of the norm.

"Take a breath and chill or something," I suggested, trying my best to sound empathetic. Bodhi nodded and surprisingly did what I said.

"You're right. We'll be fine," He shrugged, hopefully feeling more confident than he portrayed. He led the way into the large room where the gathering had erupted. It looked the exact same as the night before, with people scattered about, filling almost every corner in the room. It was overwhelming, sure, but I knew we could handle it.

We decided to split up and mill about the room, mingling for what seemed like hours. I met a few interesting characters – of course they were all completely outdated and a total bore-fest – but had the same amount of information as I did upon entering this place. Which, in short, was nothing. Just a giant heap of useless small talk and endless frustration. I knew that this wasn't good and definitely meant we wouldn't be heading home any time soon.

"Anything?"

"What do you think?" I grumbled, turning to face Bodhi who had just approached me in the center of the room.

"Then I guess it looks like you might be interested to hear I found something," He replied smugly.

"Are you kidding me? What? Who? Did you find someone?" My words came out in a jumbled stream of vague and nonsensical questions. "Please tell me you have something!"

"Alright, easy," Bodhi chuckled, pulling me toward the floral sofa we hid behind the previous night. We sat down in the corner of the room and watched the partygoers before us.

"Well I did what you said," He began. "I let loose, relaxed, enjoyed myself, you know? It really did help to tune into the atmosphere. So anyway, after dancing with a few ladies," He glanced down at me and I held a deadpan, uninterested demeanour. "I asked a girl who it was that is running this place."

My eyes nearly shot out of my head and I smacked his arm.

"Are you insane!?" I shouted. "We still don't know what we're up against here, this could be a freaking cult set to destroy humanity or start another world war or something! You could have ruined everything!"

He sighed but kept his composure, though I could tell he wanted to shout back. I rarely failed in getting a rise out of him, although those weren't my intentions this time, for I meant every word.

"I know, but I needed to take some kind of risk or else we weren't going to get anywhere, okay?"

"So you decide to-"

"_So,_" He rudely cut me off. "I asked this girl, Aubrey, I think her name was… pretty name," He mused aloud. "Anyway I asked her who ran the party and she really didn't seem that surprised. In fact, she answered rather uninterestedly, pointing toward that guy at the bar."

Bodhi pointed toward a burly, twenty to thirty year old looking guy, who was a total looker, hunched over the bar across from us and conversing secretively with a group of men that surrounded him. I could catch the occasional glimpse of his profile, and he looked very stoic, emotionless, and almost melancholic.

"So, what are you thinking?" Bodhi asked in a hushed voice. I merely held a hand up in response while intently taking in the man before me, taking another moment to deduce the situation. Finally, I responded.

"He lost something, don't you think?" Bodhi merely squinted in response, so I continued. "He looks like he's mourning, as most lost souls are. But if he were mourning his own life, he'd be mean, vindictive and controlling. Although he runs a stellar party, it doesn't seem like he's some kind of mob leader, right? But I can't be sure. I need to know him, or someone close by. It doesn't look like anyone can get into that little ring of his, though. Unless…" I trailed off, eyeing the gentlemen before me.

"Well, what have we got to lose?" Bodhi asked, seeming to catch on to what I had dawned upon. "We've done enough watching and waiting. I took a big risk, now it's yours. Unless you need me to come with you, in which case I will."

"No, no," I muttered, still staring intently at the bar. "If we go together they'll figure us out. I'm sure others here were once like us, but they found a way to suck them in. Just like Messalina and Rebecca, they're all the same. If they find us, they try and either get us to leave or make sure we never do." I gulped out of habit.

"You can do this, okay? I've seen you try and take on a freaking gladiator for god's sake." Bodhi smiled warmly at me. I knew he was right, so I jumped off the couch and stalked towards the group.

I plunked down on a stool just three seats over from the leader of the group. Only one person stood in our way, but that was fine for now, and I could still hear their conversation. While drifting in and out of a conversation that held little interest to me – some gruesome details of a war I'm quite sure had nothing to do with their current situation or location – I noticed that there was nothing behind the bar. It was just for show and decoration. I don't really know why, but I found it neat. Everything in this place was interesting in that way, and I couldn't help but kind of want to live in this time, just to see what everyday life was like. This was becoming a rather interesting research project. _Geez, now I sound all nerdy like Bodhi. _I couldn't help but steal a glance back at him at that thought, and found him still sitting on the couch watching me with wide, focused eyes. His body looked far from relaxed, as if he was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

I was always so stubborn back when I was alive – heck, even for a long time after that – and was so intent on being independent and seen as a grown up that I couldn't appreciate when someone was just looking out for me. Now, seeing how Bodhi was constantly on alert around me and prepared to stand by my side through danger made everything a little easier, pleasant even.

A shift in the conversation taking place beside me pulled me out of my thoughts. I quickly leaned in closer to the huddled group and listened.

"Don't Jay, just don't" The leader said, his voice was violent and sharp and instantly set me on edge.

"Look Duke, I'm just gonna sound like a broken record here but maybe it's not worth it anymore," Jay, I could safely assume his name was, replied tiredly.

"I'll do what I want," growled Duke, whom I no longer had to call 'the leader'. "Ima do what needs to be done, so ya dinks can either help me or scram, got it?" He boomed, and then quickly stalked off towards the other side of the room. In my opinion, it was hard to take anyone around here seriously with those outdated, goofy accents. Jonny and the remainder of the Rat Pack – something I always used to hear my Dad mention, I just assumed it fit in this situation – shook their heads and muttered quietly to themselves.

My gaze continued to dart between Duke's shrinking figure as he gained more and more distance away from me and the guys at the bar. I felt obligated to follow Duke, but from past experience with souls like this with a "big-shot complex", I decided it would be best to approach him when he was less likely to go ballistic and instead see what I could get from the bozos beside me. I figured at this point in the game, I didn't have much to lose.

"Excuse me," I announced loudly, halting their conversation. "I couldn't help but notice that your friend over there seemed pretty upset. I don't mean to intrude, I guess I'm just a worrier and I can't help but be concerned." I giggled. I hated playing the sweet, innocent, clueless civilian but it's not like you just confidently charge towards these kinds of guys if you're looking to coax information out of them. These men were all brawn and model-good looks, so I would have to get them to trust me. You know, make them think they're doing me a favour.

"Nah it's alright sweets, don't you worry," One of them piped up, turning towards me. He had tattoos all up his arms and wore a red button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. In fact, now that I took a good look at the gang, they all looked somewhat similar. They looked as if they should be carrying a variety of weapons, but when they spoke to me I could see so much kindness in their eyes.

"You could say he's a little heartbroken," Jay chimed in quietly. The other two each took turns punching him in the shoulder or smacking him upside the head, all of them attempting to hold back laughter. "Ouch! Easy, fellas I'm just kiddin' around! Anyway he'll be fine. He's just missin' his lady, is all."

"Oh," I widened my doe eyes. "Is she not here?" I placed my hands towards my heart, plastering concern and understanding across my features. "Or not with us any more, perhaps?" I whispered, glancing up towards the sky.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa ma'am," The first one, who I think I might've overhead him being called Zeke, looked as if he was about to get convicted of a crime he didn't commit. "What are ya tryin' to do?"

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, beyond confused.

"Ya don't talk about that stuff here, alright kid? You know that. So if ya wanna stuck around this joint you'd better focus on, y'know, enjoyin' yourself… not giving into all that hype, okay?"

I nearly choked on the shock. _This cannot be real… _I was so completely dumbfounded that I barely remember saying goodbye to the group and heading back towards the couch. When I finally came to my senses, I had pulled Bodhi out of the main room and around the corner into the hallway. We stood at the bottom of the staircase.

"Are you okay?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes."

"Upstairs?"

"Please."

Bodhi flung open the door to the room and locked it behind us. I sat down on one of the massive, plushy couches and he sat right beside me, kind of in my personal bubble. But I didn't really mind at the moment.

"What did they say?"

I remained silent for another beat. Before I could help myself I burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. Bodhi's expression wavered between frightened, confused and on the verge of killing me, which only made me laugh harder. I barely choked out my response between chuckles.

"They don't believe in the afterlife!" I blurted out. "I mentioned it and they full out basically threatened me about talking about 'all that hype'. Can you believe it? Dead people who don't believe in passing on."

"That… that doesn't sit right with me," Bodhi stuttered out, just as confused and uneasy as I was.

"Something freaky is going on here, for sure. Looks like this'll be more interesting than I thought! What an adventure!" I squealed, bounding off the couch and outside onto the balcony for some much-needed fresh air.

"And I'm going to have a freaking conniption," Bodhi grumbled, lying down on the couch.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I spent out there looking at the stars, but I didn't really mind. I wasn't at all tired and my mind had finally stopped racing. I still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with my detective work today. In retrospect, all I really figured out was that this problem had way more to it than we thought. This, really, isn't as good of news as I thought it had been. As I stared up at the stars, my memory flashed back to that night at the coliseum with Dacian. I was clad in my alter ego, Aurelia, and he wore a dashing, glamorous toga, and we looked up at these very stars. My stomach hurt and I felt totally lost. _I guess this is heartbreak…_

"Jeez," I sighed aloud. "What went wrong?" I continued to look at the stars, clearly determined to elongate my misery.

"What are you thinking about?" A voice grumbled groggily behind me. I whipped around, forgetting that I clearly had not shut the glass doors behind me, and looked into the open living room. The back of the large couch sat a few feet into the room, from which I remembered the voice came from.

"Nothing, it's fine," I muttered.

"Tell me," Bodhi's voice, although heavy with sleep, came across as genuine and concerned. _Well, it's not like I'll ever tell anybody else._

"I miss Rome sometimes. The glamour, the experiences, the… people."

"That dude?" He asked. I could practically hear his condescending, pretentious eye roll from behind the back of the couch.

"You know his name."

I heard Bodhi let out an exasperated huff of air.

"That guy, _Dacian_," he might as well have spat the name, "or whatever. He didn't deserve any of your time. He was an idiot, and that's that. He clearly has some growing up to do. You have plenty of time for that stuff."

"Okay…" I replied, a little unsure of what exactly was happening. _Was Bodhi seriously trying to give me boy advice? _ Confused and more than a little uncomfortable, I made my way inside, shutting the doors and heading toward the bedroom.

I could hear him shuffle around on the couch and turned to face him. He was sprawled along the couch facing my direction and holding himself up on his elbow. His hair was all mussed and he looked freaking adorable. _Oh my god Riley, you must be dealing with some serious emotional issues because this has to stop._

"I got first shift. I had a power nap, so I'm good. You get your rest," He yawned.

"Sure, sure. Yeah," I turned towards the curtain that led to the bedroom. Just as I held the thin fabric between my finger tips, ready to open it, I stopped without turning around. "And thanks, I think."

"You'll figure it out, Riley," He stated as if it was both a form of endearment and an obvious fact. "You always do."

For some reason I couldn't will myself to face him, both nervous and giddy at the thought of seeing the look in his eyes as he said those words. Without another word I opened the curtain and flopped onto my bed, glancing to the corner of the room to find Buttercup still sleeping soundly on his dog bed. As my eyes fluttered closed and I succumbed to sleep, I couldn't help but smile – maybe even believing what he had said to me.


End file.
